Lorenzo Ruiz
Lorenzo Ruiz is a fictional character and primary protagonist in Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm. He is the current live-in groundskeeper for the Hinata Inn, as well as being a field agent for the Arlington Magic Society, the preeminent magical society in North America (mainly the United States and Canada). He is a skilled practitioner of Arma Salto, having been taught the fluidic gunfighting style practiced by all 'modern' (circa 1890 A.D.+) magic societies in support of enchantments and spells. A somewhat shy and easily flustered individual, he is more at ease in commanding groups rather than fighting side by side with the rest of the Kuro Crew, most likely due to his training. An observer sent by the government to assess the possible threat the Kuro Arashi group posed to national security, his job was to report his findings and if need be, initiaite the first step in 'fixing' the problem. Unfortunately it would not end this way. After nearly having his throat cut by Seno Nakakami after the disasterous first meeting between the Hinata inhabitants and mages from Mahora Academy, Haruka Urashima (his contact) saved his life by blowing his cover and explaining to everyone what Lorenzo was doing there. While thankful for his life being spared, he sensed that he had lost the trust of those in the inn, and strove to amend the situation. In the month he had spent with the Kuro Crew, he had grown to see them as the family he never really had and has doubled his efforts to try and make himself useful to the group to earn back their trust. Even as his superiors back in the United States debate on how useful is it just to have him in Japan in the first place with his cover gone. A fan of anime and video games, Lorenzo normally understands the numerous pop culture referrences thrown helter skelter within the Hinata Inn, and still does his duties as a groundskeeper on the premises. His personal weapons is a magically embued Springfield Armory M14, as well as various pistols and assault rifles hidden in his room in the Hinata Inn. With the onset of Mahorafest, Lorenzo would become the leader of Fireteam Charlie, a group of student enthisiasts of the Halo video game franchise, in the Kuro and Mahora crew's attempt to stop the future mage Chao Lingshen in breaking the masquerade that exists between the magical world and the mundane world. Biography Early Childhood Lorenzo was born in the Philippines to an US Army Intelligence Officer and his filipina wife. His mother dying in childbirth due to her frail health, he was raised by grandparents and relatives all over the Philippines until his father came to claim him at the age of 6. Growing up under a strict disciplinarian, he would come to resent some of his father's decisions for him as a teen, his only refuge found when he would go over to a friend's house and relax there. Living mostly in Northern Virginia, he often caught glances of what his father did, and was quick to catch on there was more to his heritage than there was. He'd always been capable of things that he didn't truly understand, and his father's mysterious job within the military only whetted his curiousity. Upon confronfting his father near the end of his high schooling, the two would come to blows as it was revealed that Lorenzo inherited a dying bloodline of tribal mystics and medicine men, long diluted at first from the Spanish colonization and then the 'modernization' through the United States. His father was of a inferior bloodline, where only certain generations in his line has had any magical capacity. This revealation though did bring the agency that Alexander Ruiz worked for, the Arlington Magic Society, knocking on the front door of the Ruiz's home. Barely graduating high school at the age of 17, Lorenzo as recuited, albeit against his wishes, into the Arlington Magic Society. He had read the fiction that was Harry Potter, but to dumped into the masquerade after just a few weeks of knowing your true bloodline, it was hard. Harder still that it was all done with the blessing of his father, leading to strained relations between the two. Training and First Assignment Lorenzo was quickly introduced into the military-esque training environment. Many of his peers had known of their abilities, and were in full mastery of it by the time they had joined the Arlington Magic Society's training program. He had a lot of catching up to do. The fact he didn't know anything about the magic world made him a virtual outsider, knowing nothing of what his peers had taken for granted. Literally finding little friends, he grew to be a recluse, staying by himself in his off time and trying to continue on with his life before the revealation. This would continue until he was assigned a partner when he turned 19. By then, he was growing to be a proficient practicioner of Arma Salto, a gunfighting style first developed by American mages in the late 1830s. He would move away from the heat and sands of the American Southwest and up to the woods of northern California, where he went on to finish his training with an established mage named Cal Devans. The more experienced mage had a notorious reputation for being a solo operative, and it seemed like torture for her to train Lorenzo, who at times seemed more mundane than magical in his antics. Over the course of four years, the two would work together in forging a partnership, to the point that a pactio was formed. It would seem that the two would be sent to somewhere safe, an assignment befitting such a newly formed partnership. Unbeknownst to the two, the AMS bureaucracy had other plans. The pactio pair was sent off to Afghanistan in early 2006 in support of counterinsurgency efforts there. A skirmish with Taliban forces led to Agent Devans' death, where she protected Lorenzo and the special force team from a poorly covered IED meant to take out vehicles. Mission to Hinata To be expanded upon. Cover Blown Over the course of his stay, he was merely baby-sitting, as his colleagues dubbed his job. Some more cynical battle mages in his department called it an all expenses paid working vacation. It was no laughing matter though, when he was forced to reveal his identity. Bound to a chair, he related his mission as he was told to by his superiors. This and testimony by Haruka Urashima kept him from getting killed and continue his mission, but at the expense of his trust with the Kuro crew. So far, he kept mainly to himself, other than speaking to Su about military tech, he was often doing his duties as groundskeeper. He rarely eats together with everyone, often telling Shinobu in advance if he was to eat at all. He recovered afterwards, but with his official cover blown, all he could do was attend to the gardens and mend fences, report to his superiors, and sit on the roof contemplating. Some of the tenants may have forgiven him for his little lie, or all of them hay have. He just doesn't talk to them as much. Journey to Mahora With the establishment of contact between the two groups, Lorenzo was the first to head into the city. He would make his way towards Tatsumiya Shrine, where he would be met by the mercenary Mana Tatsumiya. She'd tactfully inform him no weapons were allowed in the shrine. Duel at the Shrine To be expanded upon. Mahorafest To be expanded upon. Fireteam Charlie and Echo Base To be expanded upon. Powers and Abilities *'Arma Salto:' Armament Weapons: Lorenzo is a bit of a firearms fanatic, and as thus uses everything he is able to get his hands on, and is not above using rather peculiar weapons in his time as a gun mage. Included though are his agency-issued weapons. *Machine Pistol, Select Fire, Caliber 9mm, M2006 **Under Review *Rifle, Select Fire, Caliber 7.62x51mm NATO, Magus-use, M14A7/1 Vehicles: Not exactly a car enthusiast, he of course was taught technical driving and can do routine car maintenance, but is more suited to just driving the damned things. *Land Rover Defender 130 *Early M831 Troop Transport Warthog (Halo 2 version), planned rally vehicle modelled after the Bowler Wildcat; troop compartment up-armored during MvM and filled with C4I equipment. Painted in black and navy trim. Trivia *To be expanded upon. Appearances *''Future Perfect: Chao Lingshen's Tale'' *''The Inquisition Mahora Epilogue'' *''Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm'' *''PokéFiends'' Category:Fireteam Charlie Category:Kuro Arashi Category:Kuro Arashi Protagonists Category:Mages Category:Project: Arashi